ix, 544 pages, 32 unnumbered pages of plates : 24 cm

"The conventional narrative of the Second World War is well known: after six years of brutal fighting on land, on sea and in the air, the Allied Powers prevailed and the Nazi regime was defeated. But as in so many things, the truth is somewhat different." "Bringing a fresh eye to bear on a story we think we know, Norman Davies forces us to look again and to discard the usual narrative of Good versus Evil. Powerfully argued, compellingly written and devastating in its conclusions, Davies's re-examination reminds us that the war in Europe was dominated by two evil monsters, not by one. Each of the monsters joined forces to destroy the existing international order, before embarking on a war to the death. The liberators of Auschwitz were servants of a regime that ran still larger concentration camps than those they liberated."--Jacket

Includes bibliographical references and index

Interpretation -- five factors -- Warfare -- military action in Europe, 1939-1945 -- Politics -- before, during and after the war -- Soldiers -- from enlistment to war grave -- Civilians -- life and death in wartime -- Portrayals -- the Second World War in pictures, literature and history -- Inconclusions

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